Okay, that makes sense, but after coming back from my walk I left the Pokewalker alone for a long time, and the counter had returned to 0. However, when I actually returned Lightyear to SS, it said I'd taken over 4000 steps, which would be more than enough to find Kangaskhan or Doduo in Refreshing Field.
My question is whether pokemon like that only have a chance of appearing while the pokewalker's counter is more than a certain number of steps, or if the steps are cumulative. Like, if I were to go on another walk in Refreshing Field, could I potentially come across those pokemon right away (having apparently taken 4000 steps), or would I have to take another 2000/3000 steps before I could find them?
Sorry If I'm not making sense...